But reacting to the allegations by the PDP, the APC Campaign Director Media and Publicity, Salisu Ahmad, claimed that three people in their team were shot and wounded adding that it was not the first “attempt made on the life of their principal.”
The Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State has alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state was after the life of its governorship candidate, Sadique Abubakar.
The Director, Media and Publicity of the Campaign Council, Salisu Barau, made the allegation while speaking at a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists secretariat in Bauchi.
Barau was reacting to an earlier press conference by the Director General, PDP Campaign Council, Farouk Mustapha, following an attack during a rally of the APC governorship candidate at Duguri, the hometown of Governor Bala Mohammed, in which one person was allegedly killed and 15 others sustained varying degrees of injuries from gunshots and machete attacks.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday, barely five hours after seven out of the nine governorship candidates met at the Bauchi State Police Headquarters and signed a peace accord ahead of the governorship and State Assembly elections.
The gubernatorial candidate of the APC who was absent was represented by his running mate at the event.
Mustapha, who accused the APC and its candidate of being responsible for the attack alleged that Sadique Abubakar, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, led thugs belonging to his camp and party to unleash terror on the governor’s kinsmen and also destroyed billboards of the PDP.
He said that Wednesday was one of the saddest days in the political history of Bauchi State.
He said, “All gubernatorial candidates of various political parties in the state were at the State Police Headquarters with all the security agencies to sign a peace accord as has been the practice in every election season.
“However, the candidate of the APC was conspicuously absent with only his deputy in attendance, showing no respect for the peace and harmony to reign in Bauchi State.
“To our dismay, while the candidates were signing the peace accord, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, took a campaign tour to Duguri town, the hometown of His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, who doubles as the sitting governor as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming election.
“Shockingly, the candidate moved to Duguri with thousands of thugs, conventional and non-conventional, who were well armed to the brim. As usual by his antecedents, looking at what happened during his last campaigns in Akuyam in Misau Local Government Area and also in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, where they shot to death about three people with no any kind of investigation or bringing the perpetrators to book.”
But reacting to the allegations by the PDP, the APC Campaign Director Media and Publicity, Salisu Ahmad, claimed that three people in their team were shot and wounded adding that it was not the first “attempt made on the life of their principal.”
He said, “There is no doubt that the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Bauchi state have already lost the forthcoming governorship elections, hence the desperation exhibited in handling all matters concerning the All Progressives Congress and all its candidates, particularly Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
“The unfortunate developments cannot be divested from Governor Bala Mohammed’s penchant for inciting the youth in his public addresses at most of his campaign tour, notably at Dass where he publicly charged his supporters to be violent against whoever constitutes a threat to his re-election bid in the same manner he did in 2019 during his content against the former Governor Mohammed Abubakar.
“We categorically say no to dirty politics and violence as we call on all people of Bauchi State to maintain peace and stay focused on saving our dear State from all evils, as always preached by Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar.”